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Historical sketch:

1987: For five years already, the EdelStrat shipyard has established its reputa-tion as a pioneer in the area of cruisingmultihulls. There was the very first coas-tal cruising catamaran, the Edel 26, thenthe Edel 33 designed by S. Langevin, thefirst family cruising catamaran. It was ori-ginal in more ways than one: the prin-ciple of a very simple boat that could bedisassembled with an excellentquality:price ratio for the time. With thisexperience and definite recognitionamong rental professionals, MauriceEdel further improved the concept withthe Edel Cat 35’. This model becamevery popular, and more than a hundredcame out of the workshop in Meyzieu,near Lyon.

The press unanimously acclaimed thisboat when it was first launched and inissue #18 (August/September 1988) ofMultihulls World, you could read:

“More spacious, more comfortable, ithas all the qualities of the famous EdelCat 33... The concept in three separateparts (two hulls and the separate centralsaloon) has fortunately been kept...” Mul-tihulls offered the title: “With the Edel 35,there is no contradiction between crui-sing and performance.” While MultihullsWorld already predicted that “The EdelCat 35 corresponds perfectly with thenew philosophy of sailing.”

On their side, professionals, rentalcompanies and sailing schools alike wel-comed this 35’ adapted to their needsand their customers’ expectations. Allrental companies specialized in catama-rans, some sailing schools and/orschools specialized in multihulls acqui-red them.

Performance

When he sailed his first Edel 35, Fran-çois Monjauz, director of Voile & Vent inHyères (Var, on the Mediterranean),immediately observed the craft’s excel-lent performance and perfect stability. Atthe time, he said: “It’s a very sound boat,responsive and easy to tack... It is also a

pleasure to steer, which is not always thecase with other catamarans, somewhatheavy and slow to steer... As for speed,you quickly reach 12 to 15 knots stayingflat, which surprises my customer whoare used to the slower monohulls, whichlist very fast.”

1999: Most builders, following thedemand for increasingly more complete-ly equipped boats (a trend launched bythe tax-free market), preferred the ligh-ter, but bulkier hulls made of sandwich,to provide more facilities inside. In com-parison with many recent designs, theEdel 35 with its thin well-balanced hullsand sail ratio of 14.8 m_ per metric ton ofdisplacement, remains a serious compe-titor (version with 1 central OB).

Known for not being one of the mostsophisticated of the catamarans in itscategory, it does provide attractive fea-tures: 7 to 8 knots upwind for 15/18knots of true wind. Downwind, the balan-ce under sail remains a major contribu-tor to the pleasure of steering this familycruiser. The average recorded over 200nautical miles with 20/30 knot winds on abroad reach easily reaches 11 to 12knots. Although this catamaran remainsvery convincing in terms of performance,it must be remembered there is littleheadroom under the net in spite of its20-cm increase over its precursor, theEdel 33, which makes progressionthrough rough or heavy seas quite labo-rious. This is the main drawback in ourtest, when compared to recent competi-tors, all of whose nets are higher on thewater.

Life onboard

The Edel Cat 35, with its “3 module”design, offered at the time 4 separatedouble cabins and a net for common lifeand sailing of 10.60 meters, all for a verycompetitive price at the time: the baseprice, without a motor and from the shi-pyard was FF 550,000 (VAT included),FF 700,000 on average for the fullyequipped vessel (with one 4-stroke OB).With the shipyard’s mantra being simpli-city, this craft offered only the essential.

For rental, the boat revealed just howrationally it was laid out: everyone hadtheir own private corner and the net andcomfortable cockpit formed a commonarea able to accommodate up to 12people for a drink. Both for ease of massconstruction as for easy upkeep, manyparts are made of molded polyester. Inthe same spirit of simplification, eachkeel fin has a deep sump pit, equippedwith an automatic bilge pump.

Improvements

For the units produced in 1987/88 untilthe shipyard close, Edel Strat improvedsome points in terms of equipment. Onthe very principle of construction andassembly of the modules, consideringthe users’ complete satisfaction, nothingwas changed in the non-gunited monoli-thic polyester construction, the pointswelded to the hulls under pressure, theassembly of three aluminum cross-beams with 12 clamp collars, the addi-tion of 1,800 liters of floatability (expan-ded polyurethane under the berths, inthe keels and at the extremities). Thus,the interior cabin lining first made up ofsimple gel coat and thin varnished ply-wood panels was replaced with a syn-thetic textile coating, which looked betteralthough it was not particularly effectivein terms of problems of insulation or theresulting condensation (see photographshowing the poor resistance to moistureand appearance of black spots in spite ofgood ventilation following successivewintering). The woodwork was alsosomewhat “updated”, with better fini-shing and more appealing looks. Themost noticeable improvements weremade on deck. For instance, the RWOrails and bearings were replaced on thehelm and mainsail sheet with far betterLEWMAR equipment. The electrical ins-tallation, reduced to a minimum in thefirst Edel 35 units, subsequently under-went some changes thanks to a higherbattery capacity.

The big change in 1988 with the adap-tation of two 10-CV inboard dieselmotors. This version is the best adaptedfor perfectly safe use in family cruising.

“EDEL CAT 35”...A sure thing

Text & Photographs: Bernard Lelièvre

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Used BoatUnquestionably a sure thing on the used boat market, theEdel Cat 35 has had an impressive career, both with rentalcompanies and owners. More than a hundred of them wereproduced, making it easy to find one of these fun cats on theused boat market.

More spacious andcomfortable than herlittle sister, the 33, theEdel 35 has been verysuccessful.

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Owners’ association

Since the shipyard making theseboats have ceased their activity, Edelboat owners feel a little disregarded forthe time being. Considering the impres-sive number of sailboats of this brand,an owners’ association would be mostuseful and welcome (one of the very firstFrench builders of polyester yachts).Don’t forget, we have a feature for thatpurpose: don’t hesitate to write to us, sowe can include your letter in “>From ourReaders”.

Quoted value on the used boatmarket

You will need to be patient, in spite ofthe large number of boats sold (over ahundred), the opportunities are few.Yachtsmen looking for one or two yearsof sabbatical have not hesitated to castoff with this affordable catamaran. Theupkeep or reconditioning work is usuallysimple, so it is within the possibilities ofmany a prospective owner.

The most recent models are equippedwith two Inboard motors, so their price ishigher. For information, you will have topay some FF 70,000 for the installationof two Volvo Penta or Yanmar Sail Drive10-HP diesel motors new. Consideringthe wide range of versions and equip-ment provided, prices will vary from FF250,000 for an older model with little in

the way of equipment, no motors andworn-out sails, and up to FF 500,000 fora recent, well kept up unit with inboardmotors. One thing you should thinkabout, before you go looking for one ofthese craft, as I mentioned at the outsetof this used-boat test, many Edel 35shave been through a rental company orsailing school, which does not meanthey are more “worn down” than others.Quite contrary, these professionalsensure excellent maintenance of theirfleet and very often change whateverneeds changing to prevent possiblebreakage.

Considering these disparities and thenecessary verification of the hull parts,we cannot emphasize enough howstrongly we recommend that you seekthe help of an experienced professionaland/or a maritime expert familiar withthis type of multihull.

In conclusion

Today, we must observe that no shi-pyard has sought or managed to achie-ve such a remarkable balance betweena true liveaboard catamaran for 2 to 3couples, both sturdy and simple, easily

transportable, easy to winter in a smallspace, providing honorable performan-ce, maneuverable with no surprises andespecially 100% fun.

Many owners and even rental compa-nies jealously keep their Edel 35 units.So don’t take too much time decidingwhether or not to buy one, should youhappen to find that rare bird.

■

• The quality of the very sound monolithic construction

• Very livable for a length of 10.6 meters• The extreme stiffness of this

construction that can be dismantled• The excellent quality/price ratio

still holds

• The rigid lines of the deck layout• Insufficient headroom under the net• Condensation in the hulls• The complexity of the helm assembly

on the rail aft

Some measurements: in meters

CRITERIA EDEL CAT 35’ PASSION 32’ PUNCH 10 Tobago 35’ PROUT 38’Year : 1983 1988 1995 1993 1998Overall length 10,60 m 9,98 m 10,10 m 10,60 m 11,58 mWaterline length 10,00 m 9,50 m 9,50 m 10,00 m 10,52 mOverall beam 6,04 m 5,90 m 5,90 m 5,85 m 5,30 mMax. displacement 5,8 t 6,3 t 4,8 t 5,97 t 9,15 tMainsail upwind with furler genoa 67 m2 70 m2 65 m2 68 m2 71 m2Draft: 0,90 m 1,00 m 0,70 m 0,95 m 1,00 mSleeping capacity 4 doubles 4 doubles 3 doubles 3 doubles + 2 3 doublesSkin friction coefficient: 6,58 5,98 6,58 6,01 5,64Propulsion coeff.: mainsail:light displacement ratio 5,39 5,27 5,59 4,55 4,67

Comparisons…

“EDEL CAT 35”

Beam martingale under the mast...

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Used Boat

The motors, locatedunder the aft berths,provided this catamaranwith a completely safespeed of 5.5 knots, evenagainst a strong oppo-sing wind. The onlydrawback for this ver-sion: the very notableincrease in displace-ment, making it lower onthe water and not as res-ponsive at the helmunder sail. The reason isvery simple: the keel onthis catamaran had not

been foreseen from the start for suchequipment and accessories. For thosewho love speed and fresh air Edel Stratdeveloped their concept of a fun, easy-to-sail catamaran by proposing anOPEN version. There were few unitsmade - mostly for sailing schools andsmall day-chartering companies - butthey remain the most attractive for theirperformances, their capacity to exploreevery nook and cranny of a coastalreach and the conviviality of the immen-se cockpit. This concept is in no way out-dated today.

Specific points to be checked

The very sound construction shouldnot have suffered from the torments oftime.The keel fins, if they need repairing,should not be a source of concern: anycompetent shipyard familiar with polyes-ter will be able to do the work perfectly.

When I examined the owner’s Edel 35’entrusted for rental to the CFC of La Tri-nité-sur-Mer, I was able to verify what Ihad already had observed on severaloccasions, either during sailing, or toprovide an expert opinion: the excellentresistance the gel coats, the skidproofsurfacing on deck, the lack of the blistersso common on some sandwich hulls, thereliability of the parts making up the 3modules of the boat. The system of stee-ring wheel ropes connected by a trolleyto the tillers should, however, undergometiculous examination. A test of theboat at sea should enable you to judgethe proper functioning of this system thatis rather complex to use.You should alsolook into the rudder tube bearings andrudder main pieces: these main piecesmilled in an aluminum profile may haveto be changed (in this case, choosestainless steel milling).

The electrical installation places thebatteries under the counter in the galley,in the net: visit this place, where waterfrom runoff may have caused somedamage. Take advantage of this to lookat the rudder cable system and thereturn block fittings.

Finally, the most common features tobe checked are more secondary: specifi-cally, since the finishing of the decora-tion are rather summary, there may besome damage from humidity to the ply-wood. All you will have to do is treat itwith varnish or lacquer paint or possiblyeven replace them with new panels.

Rigging

The standard profile from Z Spars,self-supported by a diamond and fontjumper strut is amply sized, as are thethree mast profiles that act as cross-beams between the three 3 modules(hulls and net). The crowfoot systemchosen for fixing the stay in frontdeserves a look: this solution has neverprovided proper efficiency of the foresails at upwind speeds, but at least it issimple and relieves the front beam.

The very last units were equipped witha chain plate for the stay from the forebeam and a structure distributing thestress through a martingale (the mostcommon system today). While we are onthe subject of the rigging, have a closerlook at the mast winches. Undersized atthe start, they should be removed forverification: foresee a complete set ofbearing rings and clips. Subsequently, allthe deck fittings were replaced with bet-ter-sized Lewmar.

Motors

The Edel Cat 35 was initially intendedto be equipped with outboard motors onan articulated bracket. Held by cablesonto the two tillers, this was sufficient inmost such craft. It provided for fine per-formance under sail and perfect maneu-verability to return to its mooring in theharbor. A second version, more specifi-cally adapted for rental and safer, follo-wed: two small diesel Sail Drive motors,9 to 14 HP, according to the owner. Thisversion provides more autonomy andmakes it possible to return to port in allcircumstances “to get back to the officeon time on Monday morning.” Be careful,you must carefully examine thesemotors and their socket; it is not as easyas for outboard motors.

The danger of osmosis

As we stated for the Louisiane 37,although a few units have been affectedby this plague, rest assured, all of thesehave undergone reparatory epoxy treat-ment.

One specific point to be carefullychecked out is the unfortunate tendencyfor seawater to infiltrate between thestratification of the keel fins and the mat-ched mouldings of the waste-water reco-very vats located in those same fins.

The kitchen area...

The head area is quite sufficient...

The spacious, well ventilated saloon is verypleasant

Double berths aft ..........2.00 x 1.25Galley .............................1.36 x 1.25U-shaped saloon .....3.00 x2.50/7 P.Double berths fore ........2.00 x 1.15Cockpit area .......................4.50 m_Headroom at entrance to net ..1.81 Headroom inside floats ...........1.85